Bruno Fernando declares for NBA Draft for the second time
Bruno Fernando improved a great deal for Maryland basketball from year one to year two. He came to College Park via IMG Academy as a four-star recruit in the 2017 class. He was the eighth best center and sixth best player in Florida according to the 247Sports Composite. CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish put out a recent mock draft that has the 6’10 forward from Angola heading to the Golden State Warriors with the 28th overall pick. Below is the breakdown of Fernando’s game.
"Fernando, already blessed with an NBA-ready body, was extremely tough for Big Ten post players to deal with all season while averaging 13.6 points and 10.6 rebounds in 30.0 minutes per game. One coach even compared him to Karl Malone. And while I’m not sure the 6-10 forward projects as a future Hall of Famer like The Mailman eventually became, it’s hard not to like an athlete built this way who also has a motor that allows him to work harder, and play harder, than most of the other bigs he’s spent the past two seasons matched up against. – Parrish"
If that pick holds true, Fernando would be the second Maryland basketball player to go in the first round in two years. Kevin Huerter went 19th overall to the Atlanta Hawks in 2018. Fernando also would become the second Maryland player picked in the first round by the Warriors since Joe Smith was picked first overall in 1995. The Warriors would get more physicality and energy from Fernando in their frontcourt and he would have the opportunity to learn what it takes to win at the next level because the Warriors have done it.
Fernando gave Maryland basketball some great highlights to behold in his two years as a Terp. In the NBA, his physicality and post presence will translate. I think he does need to become a better passer as a big man and keep working on his jump shot. Wherever he’s drafted, that team will get a player that plays hard game in and game out.